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  1. #1

    Sweaty Dick Punching Enthusiast

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    SAG-AFTRA (voice actors union) goes on strike effective 10/28/16

    http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechc...game-companies

    Worth reading the entire article but this is the main takeaway.
    Effective Friday, SAG-AFTRA has declared a strike against 11 video game publishers over games that went into production after Feb. 17, 2015. The companies in question include some of the biggest heavyweights of the industry, such as Electronic Arts Productions, or EA, Insomniac Games, Activision and Disney.
    EDIT: This should probably be in General Gaming instead of Bentertainment Geekly now that I think about it if mods want to move it.

  2. #2

    Pretty much on the actors' side here, but at the same time, I worry how effective a strike will actually be in the long term. On one hand, the issue just kinda highlights how lopsided profit distribution is, and not just for the actors, but also the programmers/artists. It's something I tangentially relate to in my usual claim that no MMO is worth a sub fee these days, and it's because the money generated isn't going to where it needs to be: back into the games that have earned it.

    Should this drag on enough, you might wind up seeing some abandon the union to scab or EA and the like just fishing for new talent entirely. Realistically, there's not a shortage of people who would like these roles, but their talent and quality is obviously something that'd be up in the air. And most of the VAs that do this stuff usually work other jobs on the side, or do conventions, because one or two of those $800 gigs a month can be spread pretty thin in LA or Houston. And if the companies do hold out, I don't really see consumers boycotting in an attempt at solidarity with the actors, or even attempting to understand the issue. As is, there've been some hit pieces here and there, on top of some companies trying to backtrack on wanting non-union work.

  3. #3
    Brokage
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    I can't see it lasting too long. There are a LOT of non-union actors looking for whatever work they can get and if the Unions are on strike, you better believe the companies will happily go the non-union route considering how much cheaper hiring those actors would be too.

    Whether they're talented or not and can actually do the voicing acting well is another matter though

  4. #4

    Them getting the shit actors just feeds into the tired tripe of Subs > Dubs you see in the anime scene, or even those who demand the JP tracks be included for the imports. A lot of these actors actually do both.

  5. #5

    Quote Originally Posted by Vaspinne View Post
    I can't see it lasting too long. There are a LOT of non-union actors looking for whatever work they can get and if the Unions are on strike, you better believe the companies will happily go the non-union route considering how much cheaper hiring those actors would be too.

    Whether they're talented or not and can actually do the voicing acting well is another matter though
    Pretty much this. It's also why video game developers themselves don't unionize.

    These companies will hire scabs and not think twice.

  6. #6
    Sandworm Swallows
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    Voice acting is pretty pivotal to many games - I cannot understand how vidya companies would hire a voice actor and not tell them about the role they are supposed to be voicing, especially if it's a major role. That just suggests to me that the companies do not, in fact, "respect that [the voice actors] are professionals in their field", but are merely voices for their characters and once in a while a recognizable name to entice fans with. I also have no doubt that these companies will just hire anyone who wants work - I have heard enough shitty voice acting in vidya to last a lifetime - but I have also heard a lot of good voice acting, and it really makes a positive difference to the gameplay experience when the voices feel organic to the world and characters, and when they don't sound wooden or like they're reading off a script (Grim Dawn, why have you added so much shitty voice acting to your official release?)

    I can only hope that the video game companies that refuse to work with voice talent on this come to understand soon exactly how much poor voice acting impacts gameplay and breaks immersion...but I wonder if enough buyers will even care to pass up a game solely based on bad voices.

  7. #7
    Yoshi P
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    As long as it doesn't roll over into Star Wars: Rebels, I don't give a fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!

  8. #8
    Hackey Thread Lurker since 2010
    I could have bought an 11 pull and have 1000 gems left over, but all I got was this silly title.

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    Probably won't affect cartoons since the strike only affects the video game industry.